13.08.2020
We, Presidents of Lithuania, Poland, Latvia and Estonia as regional neighbors of Belarus, members of NATO and the EU, want Belarus to be a stable, democratic, independent and prosperous country. Therefore, we call upon the President of the Republic of Belarus to:
1. de-escalate the situation and terminate the use of force against your people immediately. We urge to stop violence and call for respect of fundamental freedoms, human and citizen rights including the freedom of speech, media, assembly and safety of journalists;
2. urgently release all detained protesters, stop further persecution;
3. immediately initiate a dialogue with the Belarusian people. Hear the voice of your citizens and let them speak out freely. Based on the experience of our own societies, and on our personal experience, we urge you to organize a national reconciliation roundtable, comprised of representatives of the government and civil society. This would represent an appropriate step in launching a genuine national dialogue. We strongly believe that dialogue is always the best path to advance social development, discuss reforms and the future of your country.
Should Belarusian authorities meet these requirements, the doors for cooperation with international community should remain open. Isolation is not a way for any nation’s prosperity and development.
We stand ready to offer our mediation efforts to reach a peaceful solution in Belarus and to strengthen your country’s independence and sovereignty.
